With the 2020 bushfires, pandemic, social and political unrest in mind, this 2021 collection responds to the difficult times we find ourselves. By bringing nature and beauty back into focus, this project asks, "In times of hardship, what are the things that are important to keep? What comforts us in challenging' circumstances? How can the creation of contemporary art and craft help facilitate personal and cultural recovery?"
Artists constant questioning, exploration and raising of societal, environmental and political issues, and their generosity of spirit, help make the world a better place. Art raises awareness, marks time and reflects our values. Art connects communities, shapes culture and fosters wellbeing. Creativity is vital: it is irreplaceable and one of the most critical aspects of our culture and humanity. How we emerge from and creatively respond to the pandemic and other environmental and social challenges, will help define who we are as a community in the coming years.
One response toward recovery is to return to familiar practices as a way to rebuild and reimagine: seeking comfort in the process, repetition and disarming beauty that can emerge when crafting something from nothing. To make new forms that arise from the imagination and transcend their original state into new and unique tangible objects.
My new project TRANSCEND is a 2021 time-based investigation reflecting on everyday moments to rise above current challenges and provide hope through inventiveness and thoughtful contemporary craft practice. Recent social, political, and environmental global events will contextualise digital photographs and contemporary art jewellery collections.
